Hair Cut
by number1animefreak
Summary: Mwu decides he needs a hair cut. This could be seen a companion fic to 明日 (ashita -tomorrow) if you squint really hard.


Mwu La Flaga stared at his reflection in the mirror. He had been about to start his morning routine of shaving off yesterday's stubble when he had caught sight of his hair or more specifically, it's length. He ran a hand through it. Yup there was no question his hair was officially longer than his wife's. But should he cut it? He had gotten used to long hair after being Neo for two years and hadn't really thought about it since regaining his memories but now that he had returned to Orb and everything had settled down he was questioning it's length. He pinched the end of a lock and pulled it sideways from his head. It was definitely too long. With a sigh he let got of the lock and reached for one of Murrue's hair ties to pull it back as he shaved.

It really is odd how something as innocuous as hair length can keep ones mind occupied throughout the day. As Mwu went about his day, instructing new recruits on the ins and outs of piloting Orbs newest jet planes, he couldn't help but notice he was the only male in the facility with hair longer than the military standard. Munching away on his sandwich in the mess hall, Mu frowned at thought. Why he was allowed to have longer than regulation hair? Was it because he was war hero twice over now? Or maybe because he was lucky enough to call Orb's leader, Representative (Princess) Cagalli Yula Attha, a friend? But that was favouritism. He hated favouritism. The enemy didn't care about stuff like that, they see your plane or suit, or ship and they open fire with the intent to kill you. On the battlefield, in the heart of battle, no matter what accomplishment you may have under your belt, you were all the same in the eyes of the enemy. Just as how they were all the same to you.

"Did you catch your sandwich passing notes in class?" A laughing voice asked.

Mwu started out of his thoughts and looked up at his beautiful wife. "What?"

"You're frowning at your sandwich, in the same way you frown at your students when you catch them passing notes in class." Murrue said as she took her seat beside him. "Care to share your thoughts?" she asked in a quieter voice.

Mwu shook his head, his hair lightly hitting his face as he did so. He didn't want to tell her what had been distracting him all day, at least not here. She was bound to find some amusement in it and he didn't feel like being laughed at in public.

"Not here." He said. "When we get home, okay?"

Murrue nodded her head. They continued their lunch happily sharing stories about the antics of their students.

Mwu once again found himself in the bathroom staring at his reflection. Murrue came up behind him, her arms circling his waist she rested her chin resting on his shoulder.

"We've been at home for several hours now and you still haven't brought up what was bothering you." She said.

"Should I cut my hair?" Mwu asked.

"What?" Murrue's embraced loosened a bit as she looked at him in surprise. That was _not_ what she had been expecting for him to thinking about.

"Should I cut my hair? It's past regulation length but no-one has said anything." Mwu explained.

Murrue raised and eyebrow at his reflection in the mirror.

"That's what was bothering you?" She asked for clarification.

"Well that and it's longer than yours now and…"

"And?" Murrue encouraged.

"I'm not Neo anymore." Mwu said quietly. "I'm not some man who's willing to erase the memories of and use teenager's as weapons, to only see them as weapons. Neo was loyal to the Earth Forces, he was their tool. But I'm not Neo, I'm Mwu. So why do I still look like Neo? Why didn't I cut my hair as soon I returned to the Archangel with my memories?" He brought a hand up to touch his scar. "Maybe when we go the PLANTS next week I should look into getting this removed too. What do you think?" He asked, looking his wife's reflection straight in the eye.

Murrue was silent for a few minutes thinking this over before she replied. "Do what makes you happy."

"But don't you care that I look like-" Mwu was cut off by Murrue turning him around and kissing him.

"For two years I thought you were dead. I kept that stupid hat you hated so much next to mine on the mantle. And every night I would drink a cup of tea and look at them wishing with all my heart that you were sitting in the armchair next to me. And then I found you. You had no memory, you were rude, but every once in a while you would say something that was so… you that when I left the room I had to be alone and cry. I had resigned myself to thinking that you'd never remember but that was okay, because I was starting to fall in love with this new you anyways. You were different but you were still you."

Murrue reached up and placed a hand on the nape of Mwu's neck, drawing him close to rest their foreheads together. His hands came up to cup her cheeks.

"Then you remembered and I thought I could never be happier than I was in that moment. But that happiness didn't last long because then you went and blocked the Minerva's Tannhauser cannon and I thought I was going to watch you die again!" Murrue began to cry. "I could care less what you look like because I've almost lost you twice, three if you include your almost transfer at Alaska. All I care about is that you are here in front of me, alive and healthy. That we were able to get married and" She took one of his hands and placed it on her gently swelling stomach "have a family."

Mwu gathered Murrue in his arms holding her tight to him, placing a kiss on her crown. "I'm sorry." He whispered into her hair.

"It's not your fault. I wouldn't be all teary if it weren't for all the hormones rushing through my body right now." Murrue nuzzled Mwu's neck then pulled back a bit. "I'll go get the scissors if you want to cut your hair but perhaps think about keeping keeping the scar. It makes you look ruggedly handsome."

"You mean I wasn't before?" Mwu gave her his best ruggedly handsome smile.

Murrue laughed and gave him a soft swat on the shoulder. "It also serves as a reminder of how lucky we are to have a future when so many of our friends didn't survive that first war."

"Hmm" Mwu hummed before kissing his lovely wife. "I think I'd like to cut my hair. Maybe not as short as used to be but it definitely can't continue to stay longer than yours."

"I'll go get the scissors then." Murrue said before she exited the bathroom to do just that.


End file.
